2018 Draft: Patriots and QBs

[DJnVa]

As expected, this was either (a) Mayfield's agent straight-up lying to make his client seem better and more in demand to counteract all the criticism the Browns were getting or (b) subterfuge by the Patriots in the hopes that Mayfield's agent would blab to the Jets, etc. and get them to give something up to move up to #2 for no reason (or, possibly, just a lame attempt to convince Mayfield to work out for the Pats).

I think it's a mix:

The Patriots did want to work him out. CHECK
The Patriots had the ammo. CHECK
The Giants did say they received calls. CHECK

The agent I don't think ever said the Patriots actually called the Giants, he said there might be a surprise team.

 

[OurF'ingCity]

Unless he was misquoted, he definitely specified the Patriots by name:

“We had another team which is going to surprise you. Another team had said, ‘You may get a big surprise on draft day, at No. 2, if he’s available.’And it was the Patriots,” Mills said. “They had 23 and they had 31 and they had two seconds. We thought, ‘That’s gonna be a heck of a move, to get up that high from where they are.’ And of course he wasn’t available so we never knew if that was reality or not.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/05/01/agent-says-patriots-considered-trading-up-to-no-2-for-baker-mayfield/

In fairness to Mills he does say there was no way to know whether what the Patriots were saying was genuine. That didn't stop him from telling other teams, but of course that works in both Mayfield's interests and the Patriots's.

 

[DJnVa]

Yes. But he doesn’t say they actually called the Giants.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Pats signed Danny Etling to a 4-year deal per LaCanfora.